I wasn't lying when I said the couch was uncomfortable. The springs squeak and dig into my muscles even when I'm not moving and both my head and my feet hang off the ends. I never thought I'd miss my crappy bed but at least it had some sort of cushion for my back. I wonder how Madge's back is feeling and it reminds me of all that happened today. Who'd have thought, the mayor, hitting his daughter.

How long had he been doing that to her? Some of her scars looked years old, had he been doing that to her for years? Why didn't she tell anyone? And that's how I fall asleep, wondering how the hell everyone could be so blind to it. How alone she must've felt knowing no one cared enough to notice.

I wake because something clatters behind my head and turn towards the kitchen, where Madge stands with her back to me. I'd forgotten she was here, my eyes sting and I realise it's earlier than I usually wake and that's early. Why the hell am I being woken?

"What are you doing up?" I grumble, Madge drops a can of something on the floor, making a racket as it clatters to the ground, it makes me wince

"Gale, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you"

"Yeah? Well you did" I gripe, rubbing my eyes

"I'm sorry, I'm really- I was just making breakfast"

"It's too early"

"I'm sorry" she murmurs again, dropping her gaze to the can she retrieved from the floor "I know you get up early for work, I just didn't want you to leave without" I don't know if it's her tone or the way her bottom lip is quivering but guilt swells in my gut and that only makes me angrier. I'm angry at everything

"Whatever , just keep it down the kids need their sleep"

"Gale I'm sorry"

"Just leave it" I roll over and pull the threadbare blanket over my head in attempt to get back to sleep but I know it's not going to happen. For one, whatever Madge is cooking smells brilliant and secondly, my stomach is heavy with guilt. She's been through so much but that shouldn't excuse her for being rude ... but she wasn't being rude, I groan internally, she was being nice. I exhale loudly and pull the blanket down so I can see "Undersee?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry" she smiles the smallest smile and carries on with whatever she was doing but there's no way I'm going back to sleep now that I can smell Madge's breakfast more strongly "what can I smell? It's like ... apples?"

"Oh" she smiles "that'll be the sausages"

"Really?" I never liked the look of them in Rooba's, long, squishy looking things. What's wrong with a normal piece of meat? But the way the townies queued for them, buying tens at a time

"They have spiced apple in them" she tells me "there's also a little bacon and fried tomatoes".

Inevitably the smell wakes everyone else and we gather at the table in the kitchen. As Madge places plate after plate on the table, the kids gape and my stomach rumbles but all I can think is we should be keeping this for when we really need it.

"Do you not like it?" Madge croaks when she realizes I haven't taken a bite

"It's wasteful" when she looks down like a kicked puppy I feel guilty again and that just frustrates me more "we can't provide for your lifestyle Princess"

"Excuse me" she pushes away from the table and I hear the front door close gently as she leaves

"Gale Hawthorne go and apologize right now. What on earth has come over you?!"

"She's spoilt Ma"

"Give me strength" my mother fumes "spoilt? After what happened yesterday?"

"We can't afford to live like she's used to"

"She was doing something nice Gale" I sigh and stand, following Madge to the front porch. She sits on the top step with her back to me

"I'm sorry ... again"

"I only used the things that wouldn't keep. I know ... life isn't easy for you. I know that and ... I don't want to make it any harder so ... I'm going to go back, maybe this might've taught him a lesson"

"Not a chance"

"Gale you know as well as I do this was a stupid idea"

"Not as stupid as going back there. You're staying here and that's final"

"I'll find somewhere else"

"Final" I repeat

"It's not really your place to-"

"I swear Undersee, you disagree once more-"

"Alright" she turns to me "if you're going to insist on me staying here I'm going to insist on us being nice or cordial at least. For the sake of your family and my sanity"

"I am nice" I argue automatically, knowing it's far from true. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head slightly, I catch the movement of her curls from the corner of my eye

"You are not nice Gale. Nice isn't something you've ever been" now I'm insulted "at least not outside of those walls" she says tilting her head back towards the house "I don't want that to change just because I'm here. That's not fair on anyone" one of the things that so infuriates me about Madge Undersee is her mind, it's brilliant. She always made so much sense which always made it so hard to disagree "can you agree to that Gale? To us getting along?"

"Yeah, I can agree to that" I watch her as the sun comes up, she squints just slightly but otherwise watches it rise over the mountains and there's one thing I can't get off my mind

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" I whisper finally. She looks at me quickly, with sad acceptance in her eyes

"I had no one to tell Gale, until you there was no one that could do anything about it"

"What about Haymitch?"

"He tried once but it nearly got all three of us killed. I stopped going to him after that"

"How old were you?"

"Maybe 11, I knew how to patch myself up by then" suddenly it's very difficult to breath. I remember her as an 11 year old, all knees and elbows, she'd just had a growth spurt. Too fragile to take even half the torture she was

"Madge" I choke "I'm so sorry"

"It's not your fault"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that"

"Not anymore" she smiles but it's barely distinguishable

"No not anymore".